Asia Cup T20: Tainted Mohammad Amir in focus as India take on Pakistan

Asia Cup T20: Tainted Mohammad Amir in focus as India take on Pakistan

Mohammad Amir, who has made a successful return to international cricket after serving a five-year ban, will be the focus of attention when India clash against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup T20 tomorrow. Virat Kohli admired the way the 23-year-old pacer has returned to top-level cricket but it remains to be seen if Pakistan include Amir for the crunch tie.

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PTI

February 26, 2016

UPDATED: February 27, 2016 08:38 IST

World cricket's most intriguing rivalry will once again be renewed when India take on an unpredictable Pakistan with rehabilitated pacer Mohammed Amir being the focus of attention in a round-robin league encounter of the Asia Cup T20 tournament here on Saturday. (Stats Pack: All the numbers you need to know about India-Pakistan T20s )

The match will also serve as a pre-cursor to the two teams' opening round battle in the ICC World Twenty20, next month. Indo-Pak cricket contests over the years have carried a legacy, not to forget the political undercurrents involved whenever the two bitter neighbours square off on the 22 yards. (India have traditionally bullied Pakistan in T20s. Proof )

But the most exciting aspect will be whether the tainted Amir gets to play in the XI.

Back after serving a five-year ban for spot-fixing, Amir has started playing for the national team since the tour of New Zealand and this immensely talented bowler will certainly come out all guns blazing against the Indian batsmen. (India geared up for nasty confrontation vs Pakistan )

Virat Kohli has already welcomed Amir's return but not much is known as to what other Indian players, including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, think about the convicted spot- fixer's inclusion.

In India, the BCCI has taken a zero tolerance approach imposing life bans on players like S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila, who have no hopes of returning to competitive cricket.

For Amir though, a good performance against India will probably help him gain some credibility not only in the dressing-room but also among the common cricket-loving public in Pakistan.

In terms of preparation, both teams have been suitably prepared considering the amount of Twenty20 cricket they have played in the past one month. India already kicked off their World T20 preparations in style, having won six out of the seven games played so far.

Pakistan cricketers, on the other hand, are coming straight after playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which keeps them well prepared. Traditionally, India have never ever lost to Pakistan in global events but it has not been the case in the continental event where Paksitan have performed well.

However, the Asia Cup has never been played in the T20 format, which is also a first. The two teams met exactly a year and 11 days back in Adelaide during the 50-over World Cup game which India won by 76 runs.

Post World Cup, the proposed series at a neutral venue never happened as the BCCI did not get approval from the Indian government.

On the field, the Indian team, under Dhoni, is peaking at the right time with all the departments clicking together. The emergence of Hardik Pandya as a batting all-rounder, who can bowl seam-up, has lent the side requisite balance that Dhoni had long been craving for.

Over the years, one has been witness to Pakistan teams hitting the zenith and nadir in a space of a few matches. On paper, India are way ahead in every department of the game but the beauty of this game is Pakistan's unpredictability.

The only concern for India would be Dhoni's back spasm even though he ignored the pain and played against Bangladesh in their 45-run win. In case Dhoni decides to skip the Pakistan game, there is Parthiv Patel as cover.

For India, there hasn't been much place for experimentation with the playing XI. Rohit Sharma has emerged as the next big match-winner after Virat Kohli in the shorter formats. Shikhar Dhawan can be inconsistent but, on his day, he can murder any bowling-attack.

For Pakistan, their opening pair is likely to be Mohammed Hafeez and Sharjeel Khan, who just had a good PSL scoring 299 runs for his franchise. However, compared to the Dhawan-Rohit pairing, the duo of Sharjeel-Hafeez don't have the same kind of pedigree.

There is no denying Umar Akmal's talent but the temperamental right-hander, who used to be once considered at par with Virat Kohli, has fallen way behind in the race.

However, Akmal's 355 runs for Lahore Qalanders in the PSL will give him confidence.

But when it comes to a match against Pakistan, Kohli invariably raises his game and has played some superlative knocks on big occasions. Having not scored too many against Bangladesh, the Indian vice-captain would be itching to hit it big against the arch-rivals.

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